Implant devices, such as bone plates, can be implanted in the body for the splinting of a fracture at a bone. To that end, the bone plate may be provided with one or more holes and accompanied by one or more securing means, e.g., bone screws, as well as spacer devices. The spacer device, or spacer, can be shaped to fit within the hole in the bone plate and accommodate the screw. The spacer, thus, may be inserted within a corresponding hole of the bone plate, then the screw inserted through both the hole and spacer. The screw may be screwed into bone to fix the bone plate thereto for splinting of a fracture, with the spacer being situated between the bone screw and the bone plate in the direction towards the fracture upon implantation. The spacer, which may be polymeric and elastic in nature, functions to improve bone fracture healing by acting as a cushion between the bone plate and the bone screw and by decreasing the area of contact between bone and the bone plate thereby permitting a restricted displacement in compression stressing of the bone.
It would be desirable to provide an improved spacer for use with an implant device, e.g., a bone plate, which further stimulates bone growth and/or promotes fracture healing.